Act VII, scene 1
(The World-soul, the soul of England and the soul of America in the Abode of the ever-transcending Heights.)WORLD-SOUL: My sweet daughter, England-soul, are you not happy now? Possession is not happiness. Renunciation is happiness. And if renunciation is God-ordained, then it is perfect happiness. It was God who wanted you to renounce your possession-authority. Look, now your daughter America is happy and you are happy. Needless to say, I am happy too.
SOUL OF ENGLAND: Mother, once I was temptation-possession, but now I am illumination-oneness. And I unmistakably and gratefully know that it was all your doing.
WORLD-SOUL: My daughter, what we need to know is not so much whose doing it was, but whether the thing is done. I am glad beyond measure that the thing is done, the right thing is done.
SOUL OF AMERICA: Grandmother, Mother has taught me many nice things, and two things I treasure most: her mind’s lofty nobility and her life’s non-sentimental, or non-emotional but measured and confident progress along the road of Eternity’s perfection.
WORLD-SOUL: You are absolutely right, my granddaughter. Now I would like both you and your mother to do me a big favour. Please sing me the song that says, “My Captain says go on.”
(The souls of England and America sing.)
There was a time when I stumbled and stumbled.
But now I only climb and climb beyond
And far beyond my Goal’s endless Beyond.
And yet my Captain commands: “Go on, go on!”
(And then they sing:)
America, America, America!
Great you are, good you are,
Brave you are, kind you are.
O my America, America.
Your Heaven-freedom
Is earth’s aspiration-choice.
With you, in you
Is God-Hour’s Victory-voice.
